Who are you and what’s your filmmaking background?
My name is Brian Byers and I graduated from the Savannah College of Art & Design in 1992 with a double major in Illustration and Art History. I was raised in a family that prides itself in storytelling which has made my career in directing and producing stories that much easier. I have had the privilege of breathing life into such characters as Curious George, Spongebob Squarepants, Barbie and the Rescue Heroes. My genre of choice may have changed over the years, but my focus has always been on entertaining the audience with my storytelling vision.
What are you working on right now?
Well, that is a loaded question. Currently I have a paranormal feature film, two short films, a web based series, and two television show concepts that are all in some stage of production or pre-production. I keep myself really busy and focus on telling stories as often as I can to as many people that I can.
What are you promoting?
I’ll be honest. As a producer/director I will take any chance I get to promote the filmmakers in my life that make my visions come true. Without Robyn Adamson, Darren Barker and Holly Tuckett, my work and accomplishments would never have seen the light of day.
What do you want the audience to take away from your films?
I view my stories as a carnival ride. I want my audience to sit in their seat, buckle up and enjoy the twists, turns and array of emotions until the ride is over. Then I want them to talk about it and share their experience with others.
Still from Brian Byer’s Dramatic Shorts competing film, Sara’s Crossing.
What’s your favorite story from filmmaking?
There was a scene in my very first short film where the main character, Lonzo Liggins, robs a convenient store and shoots the cashier. He then runs out and is pursued by a police cruiser. During one of the takes, the cop car was late on its entrance and a car full of missionaries saw him shoot the cashier and run out of the store. They freaked out and started to call 911. Luckily our AD was on the job and beat them before they were able to report the murder. They were terrified and it took us 10 minutes to convince them it wasn’t real.
What is something bizarre about you?
I think I might save “bizarre” for another type of website, LOL.It’s not bizarre so much as it may be interesting, but I helped to create and produce the TV series
My Five Wives on TLC. The Williams family are amazing people and very good friends of my family. I love seeing them each week stand up and share their lives with the world– and no, it is not scripted. That’s really them.
What currently inspires you?
I am inspired by the underdog. Not just the concept, but watching an underdog defeat their own internal and external nemesis. That is what inspires me. Watching someone overcome all odds no matter how impossible they may seem.
What’s your best advice for an aspiring filmmaker?
Tell your stories. Always tell your stories. When someone tells you that you can’t or you don’t have enough money or experience, do not listen to them. There is always a way to make your vision come to fruition. The more you do it, the better you will get.
We’ve entered our short film,
Sara’s Crossing into the Dramatic Shorts competition. The concept was to watch a woman come to terms with her new and frightening reality that we are, in fact, not alone. I purposely didn’t want any dialogue for the film, and wanted the story to be told through emotion. We only had a few weekends to shoot it and I chose to only shoot at dusk which made the lighting a bear to work with. I hope you enjoy
Sara’s Crossing as much as we enjoyed making it. You can see the casting call for Jamie Bolton who I chose for the lead on YouTube,
here.
Follow Brian’s career at The Audience Awards.
For more information on Brian Byers visit:
http://4beesmedia.com
The Audience Awards is film’s social network connecting audiences to films, filmmakers, film schools and film festivals. The Audience Awards hosts short film competitions where the audience chooses the best films.